Engine starting device



3 Sheets-Sheet l C. E` GOSSLING ETAL ENGINE STARTING IDEVISE Filed Sept. 9, 1943 Novv. 2l, 1944.

W raf NOV. 2l, 1944. Q EGOSS'LIN@ vf;r;\`| 2,363,412

ENGINE STARTING DEVICE Filedy sept. 951945 s sheets-sheet 2 N0V- 21, 1944-4 c. E. GossLxNG ETAL ENGINE STARTING DEVICE 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 Filed Sept. 9, 1945 Mw uw M3@ wild hmm. am. ,5

cation like numerals of reference indicate corresponding parts in the different figures.

The engine starting mechanism shown in the accompanying `drawings .is enclosed in a housing Which may be constructed in three sections. Housing section I houses the electric motor, the ily-wheel and the planet bevel gearing system accelerating the iiy-wheel, and is provided with a detachably connected endplate 4 secured in place by studs 5. Housing section 2 houses an epicyclic planet reduction gear train and is detachably connected to section I 'by studs 6. The housing sections I and 2 are separated by a dividing wall or plate 52 supporting therein the bearing for the bevel gear 24. jaw advancing mechanism and is detachably connected to section 2 by the overload clutch bolts 1. Housing section 3 is provided with a flange Section 3 houses the clutch 8 to receive bolts for securing the engine starting mechanism to the engine crank case 51.

Power may be furnished by an electric motor 9 consisting of an armature IU mounted on bearings II and I2, and a field system I3, mounted on a yoke I4 that is free to revolve coaxially with the armature I0 on bearings I5 and I6. The armature IU and the field I3 of this motor are b'oth restrained against rotation in a clock# Wise direction, when viewed from the left hand end of the drawing Fig. 1, by means of freewheel or ratchet gears I1 and I8. Current to excite the motor 9 is introduced at I9 through the medium of a slip ring system 20 as shown in Fig. 5. In the case of a direct current motor this will require four brush connections ZI, as i shown in the drawings, if one set of field coils is used, as series wound motors are essential for such traction duty; 1Teversal being effected by transposing armature brush connections externally with respect to the electrical direction of the field. Should tWo sets of iield coils be employed, three brushes only need be used as the common end of the two sets of elds would be brought to one brush, the other two then representing the armature connections. I

When the motor 9 is excited and connected so that the field I3 revolves, then by reaction the armature III will remain stationary, locked to the housing section I by the free wheel or ratchet gear I8 which will not permit it to rotate in the reaction direction. The field system I3 mounted on the yoke I4 rotates a spider 22. This `spider 22, which is keyed to the yoke I4, has a plurality of arms 63, radially disposed, each arm carrying a bevel pinion 23. These bevel ypinions, 23 rolling on a bevel gear 24 will accelerate the fly-wheel 25 which rotates on a suitable bearing 59 in the same direction as that of the yoke I4, through the bevel gear 26 which forms an integral part of the flywheel 25. The reaction load on bevel gear 24 on which the bevel pinions 23 roll, tends to cause it to rotate, but the rotation in that direction is checked by means of a free-wheel or ratchet gear 21 locking it firmly to the housing dividing plate 52.

If the bevel gears 24 and 26 are of equal size the ratio between the yoke I4 and the iiy-wheel been obtained and the motor reversed by any suitable circuit arrangement, the armature IU will commence to revolve in the same direction and the yoke I4 will come to a standstill, being checked in the direction of its reaction by the free-wheel or ratchet gear I 1. This reaction will slow up and bring t0` a stop the spider 22. The stored energy in the y-wheel 25 will, however, through the bevel gear 26, continue to revolve the bevel pinions 23 in the same direction, but as the spider 22 is now stationary, or approaching that condition, the energy of the fly-wheel 25 will, through the bevel gear 26 and the bevel pinions 23, reverse the bevel gear 24, the free-wheel or ratchet gear 21 permitting of free rotation in this direction. This energy is transmitted through the bevel gear 24 to an epicyclic sun pinion 29, the direction of rotation of which is controlled by a free-Wheel or ratchet gear 28. The epicyclic sun pinion 29 engaging a plurality of planet pinions 30 mounted on a pinion gear plate 39, against an outer internal gear ring 3|, which is iiXed to the housing dividing plate 52 by'studs 53, will transmit the drive at a reduced speed, through further reduction gearing to the starter jaw 34. Through jaw-advancing mechanism 35 of any suitable type, the advancing rotating starter clutch jaw 34 engaging with the starting clutch jaw 33 on the engine crank shaft will crank the engine.

As the energy of the fly-wheel 25 becomes eX- pended, the armature shaft 36, which is revolving at the opposite hand to that of the bevel gear 24, commences to crank the engine, by means of. a pinion 31 through the epicyclic planet reduction gear system. The correction for this reversal of motion is obtained through the use of planet idler pinions 38 0f which there is a plurality, these in turn, mesh with the planet pinions 30 in the same manner as theepicyclic sun pinion 29 previously described.

The inclusion of these planet idler pinions 38 will not change the ratio of the first gear train in any way, merely changing the hand of rotation. The ratio between the pinion 31 and the epicyclic cage is exactly as it would be were the outer internal gear ring 3I and the pinion 31 spanned by one larger planet gear wheel.

The planet pinions 30 and the idler planet pinions 38 rotate on stub-shafts 32 and 64 respectively, which are mounted on a pinion gear plate 39. This pinion gear plate 39 is designed with an extending hub which forms a sun pinion 40.

The outer internal gear ring 3| being held stationary with the housing 2 by the studs 53, and the planet pinions 30 which mesh with the outer internal gear ring 3| being rotated on a orbital track 44, the pinion gear plate 39 will revolve around the armature shaft 36 on its bearing 69. completing the rst stage of the epicyclic planet reduction gear system as shown in Fig. 3.

In the second stage of the epicyclic planet reduction gear system, the sun pinion 40 engages a plurality of planet pinions 4I which rotate on stub shafts 42 mounted on a second pinion gear plate 43. The planet pinions 4I being driven by the 4aroundthe armature' shaft f ring 48; lv These pinion 4in-against ringfSf'on alsecond .orbital tracltijjthe second pinion gearv plate' 43willjin av` manner-similar to that ofthe first pinion gear' plate `39,'revol've completing the secondfstage of the yepicyc'lic planet' reduction gear 'trainas' ,shown n'Fig. 4.

the :fixed outer internal ygear,

l'The second'jjpinion gear Lplatezlfis y'designed v Whiv h'forms'- a sunr pinion .v'vith an` extending hub f "54; 'Ihissun pinion fengages' the planet pin*- lonsf46 in the: ilnal stage of 'the vep'icyclic'planet reduction' gea tram', Theplane't pinions 46 are rotai'zablyy mounted ,on 'stubshafts 55 carried on the inner fl'angell'l'V ofthe 'jawadvancing -mechay nism .35. The planet pinions 46 engage a final parent that-many changes may be made therein `without departing from 'thei-ntended scope and Lspiritof vthe invention.

f for constraining each of said membersfto rotate 'xed louterinternal gearring 4'8. Thevr nal outer l "internal gear ring 48v is held vstationary with the fhousing '2; by the'overload clutch "bolts Il and' the planet `pin'ions 46,

[internal gear which mesh with the fixed' outer ring '48 on an orbital' track` 56,'bein`g rotated, the ange'T on which the planet Api'nions f ,4,6 are mounted wiirrevofwe on its beanngjsz. The rotating 4flange '41, by' means `of 4the screW'SB' vof vthe javv-advancing'-, mechanism '35, `will drive forward the rotatingstarter. c1-uren jaw 34 unta it v'engages in the usual manner with thejstarting jaw 3,3 .on thel engine, crankshaft 65 Vthereby crankingtheengix-le. j k l The overload` cl tch incorporated in this design is indicated as a multifpl'ate friction clutch 49 of a well known type, which consists of a "series of plates `lill, 2' andy others keyedjto the' final outer internal'gear plates 5 0 yare, clamped to one another under the pressure of' a'v series of springs 5| t should 'be noted 'that when the iiy-wheel has been accelerated' and its energy is being expended in rotating the starter clutch jaw through the train rof epicyclic planet reduction gearing, that in one and the same direction only, :an 'energy storing member, a vstep-up gearing associating rsaid first driving member' with said energy storing member, an engine starting clutch jaw, means foradvancing said jaw to engine engaging posi'f tion*` reducing and reversing gearing, and means whereby when 'said driving members are energized said first driving member is rotated causing said second driving member to be held from rotation Aagainst its said associated restraining member 'to permit said energ y storing member to be rotated through vsaid step-up gearing vby said rst driving member, and further means whereby `when said driving members are energized in reverse order said second driving member. is rotated to hold said first rdriving member from rotation against its said restraining 'member'to free said 'energy some of which arekeyed to the housing it does not rely for itsl transmission upon anystoring member to rotate to impart, through said reducing and' reversing gearing, motion to said 'engine starting clutch jaw advancingjmeans to advance said jaWto'engine engaging position and said second driving member is rotated to, through said reducing gearing, assist said energy storingmemberlto rotate said vengine starting clutch jaw. y

k2. An engine starter comprising an electric mo,- tor; the ileld `and armature members of which are each free to rotate, and -means associated with said eld and further means associated with said armature for'respectively restraining both said y field and armature to rotate in one direction only,

ions against the iixed outer internal gearring l 3|. This fact is stressed as the revolution of the armature pinion 31 does notv distract from this movement in any way, but merely serves to augment it if the speeds fall t0 that point Where they become coincidental when referred to the pitch line speeds of, the armature pinion 31 and the planet pinions 38.

During the period of deceleration of the iiywheel 25, the Speed of the armatureshaft pinion 39 will approach, and eventually pass that of the sun pinion 29, continuing to rotate the starter jaw 34 while utilizing all inertia energy of the ily-Wheel 25 until itis completely expended. This rinertia energy being amplified by the direct cranking action will tend to overcome, to a great e. extent, any tendency to clutch slippage, Athereby increasing theeiiiciency of the starter.

The starter clutch jaw 35 engaging the start--4 a ily-Wheel, a step-up gearing associating one of said motor members with said ily-Wheel, an engine'starting clutch jaw, means for advancing said jaw to engine engaging position, reducing and reversing gearing4 and means whereby when said electric motor is energized, the motor memc ber associated with said fly-wheel is rotated caus-A ing clutch jaw 33 offthe engine `at substantially y zero speedthe torque-value of the starter'member will be below the slipping value of the overload `vclutch 5l]I and Will prevent clutch slippage and reduce shock when the members engage.

The drawings show the eld system a's driving the fly-wheel andthe armatureas driving the direct cranking mechanism, but this procedure may be reversed without affecting the principle of operation, to suit the convenience of the individual design.

While there is herein illustrated and completely described, by Way of example only, one complete embodiment of the invention, it W-ill be aping the other motor member to be held by its associated restraining means from `rotation to permit said fly-Wheel to be rotated through said step-up gearing by said motor member associated with said fly-Wheel and further means whereby when said electric motor is energized in reverseorder thejother motor member is rotated to operate the restraining means associated with said first mentioned motor member to restrain said rst mentioned motor member from rotation to free said fly-wheel to impart, through said reducing and reversing gearing, motion to said engine starting clutch jaw advancing means to advance said jaw to engine engaging position and the second mentioned motor member continues to rotate to,`through said reducing gearing, assist said ily-wheel to rotate said engine starting clutch jaw. l

3. An engine starter comprising, a rst driving' member, a second driving member, separate means constraining each of said members to rotate in one direction only, an energy storing member, reversing gearing, and an engine start' ing clutch jaw, means for 'advancing said jaw to engine engaging position, an epicyclic gear 'train of three members, a first member of said gear train being fixed in relation to and rotatingv with said first driving member, a second member of said gear train being associated with and adapted to rotate with said energy storing member and a, third member of Said gear train being associated with said second driving member and adapted to operate said engine starting clutch jaw advancing, means through said reversing gearing, and means whereby when said driving members are energized said first driving member is rotated causing said second driving member -by its associated restraining means to be restrained from rotation to hold said third member of said gear train stationary and rotating said first gear train member to rotate said second gear train member to impart stepped-up rotation to said energy storing means and when said driving members are en-V ergized in reverse order said second driving member is rotated to operate ythe restraining means associated with said first driving member to restrain said first driving member from rotation to hold said first member of said gear train stationary to permit said energy storing member to rotate said second gear train member to, through said iirst gear train member, rotate said third gear train member at reduced speed to cause said engine starting clutch jaw advancing means through g said reversing gearing to advance said jaw to engine engaging position and said second driving member continues to rotate to assist, through said third `gear .train member, said energy storing member in rotating said engine starting clutch Jaw.

4. An engine starter comprising, a iirst driving member, a second driving member, separate means constraining each of said members to rotate in one and thesame direction only, an energy storing member, 'reversing gearing, and

an engine starting clutch jaw, meansv for advancing said J'aw to engine engaging position,a bevel diierential or epicyclic gear train of three members, a first member of said gear train being xed in relation to and rotating with said rst driving member, a second member of said gear train being associated with and adapted to rotate with said energy storing member and a third member of s aid gear train being associated with said second driving member and adapted to rotate said engine starting clutch jaw advancing means through said reversing gearing, and means Whereby when said driving members are energized said first driving member is rotated causing` saidA second driving member to be restrained by its associated restraining member from rotation to hold said third member of said gear train stationary and rotating said first gear train member to rotate said second gear train member toimpart stepped-up rotation to said energy storing means and lwhen said driving members are energized in reverseorder said second driving member is rotated to restrain through its associated restraining member said rst driving member from rotation to'hold said first member of said gear train vstationary to permit said energy storing member to rotate said second gear train member to, through said rst gear train member, rotate said third gear train member at reduced speed to rotate said engine starting clutch jaw advancing means through said reversing gearing to advance said jaw to engine engaging position and said second driving member continues to rotate to assist, through said third gear train member, said energy storing member in rotating said engine starting clutch jaw.

CLEMENT E. GOSSLING. JOHN A. SMITH. 

